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My one year Bandiversary...ok, a few days late!
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Feb 28th was my magical one year mark. I used to hang out on this board with great regularity, and now I'm doing good if I lurk once or twice a month. What's the difference? Well, I'm free. I'm living my life. I feel great. I've forgotten all about my struggles with just wanting to be "normal." You see, I think that I AM normal.
You may look at my stats and think that I really haven't lost as much weight as one would expect after a year....why do I feel like I have accomplished so much? Well, that's because I finally GET it. It took me almost 9 months post-op to get there...but I'm there. What I'm talking about is "working with my band, developing lifetime habits that are GOOD for me," and now it comes natural.
Originally, my doc was conservative with his fills in my whopping Vanguard band. I didn't feel real restriction until somewhere around Oct.-Nov. Never even experienced the dreaded PB until then. (Lucky me.) And then it happened. I felt this thing working. The weight started coming off, and I started feeling great. I WANTED to exercise. I WANTED to go shopping. I WANTED people to see me. That's been an incredible gift.
Another snag in my weightloss came late last summer when I got pregnant for the first time.....sadly, it resulted in miscarriage in Sept of '05 and that was a few months of no weightloss. After that, was when things changed for me. I begged my doc to get more aggressive, and he did. I started feeling like someone with a band. Frustrating at times, and I even mourned the portions and foods I used to enjoy...but it was worth it.
I found out I was pregnant again (We are so excited) on Christmas Eve. My OB and Band surgeon have been taking extra special care of me to make sure all is well this go around. I actually had an unfill because I was still dropping about a pound a week and I wasn't comfortable with that. (Although they assure me my baby is developing superbly!)
Now I'm well into my 4th month, feeling confident about this pregnancy and grateful for my band. My goal will be to be healthy and possibly maintain my weight throughout the next 5 months. But if I start gaining, I'm am perfectly OK with that. I wouldn't have been six months ago. But now I have confidence in how this process works. I know what my role is in working with my band, and I know how to do it.
This board was a great source of support for me when I was researching and when I was struggling with my slow loss. The only reason why I don't spend more time here now, is because I feel like I got what I needed when I needed it. Should I stumble again, I'll be right back.
I wanted to share with others that need inspiration that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. That just because you aren't one of those that loses a great deal of weight in the first 6 months, doesn't mean that it won't happen for you. It's been said so many times, but this is a JOURNEY. And one that I'm so happy that I made.